I've been pressing on with things since the last update....in between taking The Bridge to Stevenage and other things.

The most progress has been on designing and printing a range of quick-release posts for supporting the track behind the scenes. As I'm wanting to pack the layout for transport in as small a volume as possible, I was not wanting the track supports to stick out underneath the track bed sections, or on the base board, so my removable quick release posts were born. Here's a photo of a selection:

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Front row, left to right, the bottom latch section, the post, and the top latch section. The top and bottom sections will be fixed to the base board and track bed respectively. The post section is dropped into the bottom latch and the track bed positioned and the top latch dropped onto the post. A 45 degree twist of the post, aided by the small tab, will lock things tight!

And here's a wider shot showing a few in approx. position...along with some of the fixed supports that will get incorporated into the scenery groundwork:

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I'm also progressing well with the design of parts for the Royal Albert Bridge. I've completed CAD work on the viaduct supports and have started on the main towers. Once I get these done and draft parts printed, I will then be able to print a draft of the rail deck, so I'll then be able to mark out and create the track bed sections and start fitting them to the base board. Here's a photo of a few of the viaduct support parts:

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The bottom parts of the support will be submerged in the scenery, with the top sections plugging when the viaduct is assembled .

I've moved on slightly with the development of the wye point for Saltash station. I'm ready to start cutting and shaping the moveable track sections. I've worked out the arrangements to get the right power to the right bits of track for the two point positions. I'll be using either an microswitch to switch power around on the frog & moving rails...although I'm looking at an electronic switching option as an alternative!

After having attended a regional meeting of MERG over the weekend, I've now made some progress on the control panel design for the DCC automation software....which is called JMRI.

Here's the track layout panel:

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The track path is shown in red where sections are occupied, and the simulated LEDs are train detectors for pinpointing the exact location of trains. The above schematic has been rigged to indicate three trains on the layout; one on the bridge travelling away from Saltash (note the point setting gives a hint of direction), one on the branch line (direction not indicated....so what!), and a third sitting on the flexi-traverser ready to head over the bridge after the train already on the bridge has cleared the single line section.

For the first time, I've been able to dry assemble the whole bridge....so I can see if it will all fit together, and make sure I'm happy with the way it fits together and comes to bits, particularly as the layout is designed as an exhibition layout!!

Here's an overall shot:

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Cornwall to the left, and Portsmouth[EDIT]..whoops, Plymouth[/EDIT] the other side of the wardrobe doors! The two main spans you see in this shot are not the final parts....they're just temporary deck sections I printed purely for sorting out placement.

A closer view of the Portsmouth[EDIT]..whoops again, Plymouth[/EDIT] side:

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Only seven sections of viaduct this side. The last support also holds the 5mm ply track bed.

And a closer view of the Cornwall (or Saltash) side:

IMG_3397_red.JPG (82.11 KiB) Viewed 1963 times

A few more sections this side....including the left-most two sections that hold the custom point where the single line track splits to go into Saltash station.

With the DCC side of things now back on track....( I'll have to stop using that pun! Its not funny any more.... ), I'm pushing on with starting to fix down the piers for the Royal Albert Bridge. I've just finished printing a set of pins that will push through the top of the layout board sections from below and locate into mating holes in the bottom halves of the viaduct supports.

Hopefully by the end of tomorrow (Friday) I'll have got to the point where I can start marking out the ply for the track bed.

After a decision I've recently made, progress on the build will probably slow down for a month or two as I turn my attention to a DCC upgrade on The Bridge, which I have decised to carry out to speed the process of getting an exhibition layout that utilises DCC.

Despite the above, I've today cut out the first of the ply track bed sections that will go "behind the scenes". A twin track section that makes up almost 75% of a complete loop!!!